1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to instrument tray systems; more particularly, the present invention pertains to instrument tray systems associated with medical/surgical systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
A common accessory associated with medical/surgical systems, and more particularly ophthalmic surgical systems such as phacoemulsifiers and vitrectomy units, is a reusable tray system. These reusable instrument tray systems are typically made from either stainless steel or an autoclavable plastic. The instrument tray systems are designed to interface with an articulating arm and tray support attached to the surgical system. Many tray systems contain pockets or cavities sized and shaped to hold the various instruments, devices, handpieces and consumables used during a specific surgical procedure.
While many prior art tray systems are in use, problems still remain with such tray systems.
Some of the problems with commonly available instrument tray systems are:                a) the instrument tray system is too small to hold all of the needed instruments, devices, handpieces and consumables associated with a specific surgical procedure;        b) The instrument tray system is too large to fit into available autoclave sterilizers;        c) The hard surface of the instrument tray system can damage delicate instruments used in a surgical procedure.        
Accordingly, a need remains in the art for an instrument tray system which solves the foregoing problems.